help deciding between the bethleham and the bullet!

[debco]

Help!
I am looking to buy a new torch before I spend all my $ on more glass!!! I now am on a lynx but want a broader flame with more power to make sculptural pieces in boro. I currently use a large tank of oxygen and propane. Any thoughts out there comparing the bethleham and the knight bullet? If I was to switch to concentrators for the oxygen...what are the thoughts between these two?! Unfortunately, living in the midwest, I am no where near any place that sells either of these so I can't try them.
Any thoughts are appreciated!

[Mr. Smiley]

I just borrowed a bullet for a few weeks. It's a nice torch, but hands down, get the Cuda. It's hotter on less oxygen. I wouldn't own a bullet after using it for a while. It's not a bad torch, just not my choice between the two. ;)

[Cosmo]

I just borrowed a bullet for a few weeks. It's a nice torch, but hands down, get the Cuda. It's hotter on less oxygen. I wouldn't own a bullet after using it for a while. It's not a bad torch, just not my choice between the two. ;)

What he said.

[playswithfire104]

Just wondering if you changed your mind Cosmo?

[kbinkster]

I vote for the Cheetah. It has a nice wide flame, gets hotter than the Barracuda, and uses less oxygen.

[Cosmo]

Just wondering if you changed your mind Cosmo?

Yes, I have. And not only because of the Bethlehem vs. me thing. I talked to the person that owned the bullet I worked on before, and we determined that it wasn't getting enough propane pressure. The problem ended up being a bent propane valve. The torch fell off the bench (not while lit) and while it looked okay, the propane valve was bent.

I have since worked on three different Bullets (operating on the correct pressures) and they outperform the Barracuda by a long shot.

I know Kimberly mentioned the Cheetah, and while they are good torches, they are only a single flame. They don't get a very narrow flame. If you are using a torch in that size range, I much prefer a separate inner and outer flame. If you are looking GTT, I would suggest a Phantom. Carlisle's Hellcat is also in this same size range. I haven't had a chance to use one yet, so I can't comment on it.

[kbinkster]

The Cheetah does not get as narrow a flame as the Lynx (which is about as narrow as tapestry needle), but it does get pretty darned narrow. I could easily get one that was less than 1/8" wide and still HOT. The nice thing about triple mixes is that you can get a tiny pinner flame like that that is as hot as or hotterthan a premix pinner flame. This comes in very handy for boro detail melt-ins.

Standard mix surface mix torches typically do not have pinner flames that hot.

[pearsonglass]

You could also wait a month for the Hellcat. I just played with one and it is a nice alternative. It had a really clean flame and no reduction, with a lot of heat when you needed it.

Brad Pearson